INDA DREAMS Academy
Focusing on its goal of creating an inclusive 21st Century neighborhood school with an innovative “DREAMS” curriculum (Design, Research, Engineering, Arts, Math, and Science), the Santa Ana Unified School District set out to acquire a vacant lot on which to build a new facility to support the significant growth they had projected. Their search was burdened by the rising costs and availability of land. Finding a rare opportunity, the District acquired a site within the Irvine Business Complex, on which sat an abandoned, 2-story, 25,000 square foot office building. The team understood that the building and site presented numerous challenges as a school conversion.
What we saw beyond these challenges was the incredible potential of restoration and renewal; hope in the eyes of the client team that this undertaking could realize a one-of-a-kind facility which embodies the focus of the DREAMS curriculum concept as its own story. The new school would illustrate the successful result of an adaptive reuse strategy fueled by program inspiration. This would be the future home of INDA Academy.
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Client
Santa Ana Unified School District
Location
Irvine, CA
Size
Multi-story 25,000 sf classroom building
Services
Master Planning, Architecture, Interior Design
Awards
2020 AIA Orange County Design Award